Passing Thoughts – California Story, Part I
A near miss by the weather had the FOX crew at near hyperventilation levels. Something tells me they were trying to figure out how they were going to vamp ANOTHER race delay so early in this short season.
Not ’til Texas, guys. Not ’til Texas.
Otherwise, in business news from the empty oval that is Auto Club Speedway’s grandstand section…
You’ve got to love … the mileage Bass Pro Shops is getting out of Jamie MacMurray’s Daytona win, and the double-down they got this weekend, winning the pole position. And the afterglow will continue until next year’s Daytona 500, where Jamie Mac will still be part of the story. sponsor payback indeed.
Speaking of mileage… either Scott Speed is turning into a NASCAR driver, or he’s got the most media-savvy crew chief in the biz. Most likely the second. Either way, for two races in a row his race strategy has gotten him in front of the cameras, and he’s kept the car long enough there to generate some very nice TV time. I finally figured out the front hood design is a graphic of the Red Bull can; and “Energy Shot,” I guess. If he keeps it in front of the cameras, they really should put something on there that televises well. Like, ya know, the Red Bull logo.
And speaking of speaking of camera time, I’m really wondering why the back markers and start ‘n parkers don’t put just a little bit more effort into identifying their cars. Yesterday it was Kevin Conway’s #37. Dude, if the only time you’re going to get on TV is when the leaders are passing you, make sure that logo is visible! Then again, I see where the sponsor is Extenze, neck and neck in the race with GoDaddy for this year’s tackiest sponsor package. Never mind, man. Just keep it semi-visible. The logo, I mean.
Since we’re topic tracking, apparently, I was thinking we’d almost made it through a Danica-free weekend (yeah right!) when the GoDaddy Danica shower commercial, um, popped up. Classy. Every time I see one of those commercials I remember that the actual product is a warehouse full of computer servers. woo hoo! So, I guess, once again we prove that not only does sex sell, it sells darn near anything.
I’ll be Quacked… if I can figure out the sponsor ID on Carl Edwards’ #99 car yesterday. Yes, I know, it’s a tie-in to the “You Don’t Know Quack”-ery that AFLAC is running this season. And, I guess, a nice tie in at that. Still, the car looked awful. It had a big Quack in the hood, so to speak, but didn’t push the message into visual space, at least for me.
Martin Truex hits the wall … and I’m not just talking about those awful commercials .. The FOX crew was careful to point out that he had engine trouble AND hit the wall, as if there was cause and effect. Maybe there was. Still, NAPA must wonder if they somehow put Mikey Waltrip back in the car.
Last week, Yahoo’s NASCAR blog ran a story about the semi-incestuous (semi?) relationship between racing’s TV personalities and their ties to various race teams. It actually extends further into the sport than Nick Bromberg probably had time or space to explore, but here’s another dimension: How about announcers and sponsors? Sure, the networks buy on for a certain number of sponsor plugs – of various kinds – during the broadcast. (It’s not just gas, people. It’s “Sunoco Racing Fuel”!) But do they really have to give a sponsor mention when a car hits the wall or wrecks? It’s sure not a bad thing when they do; and it sound natural nearly every time. But it sure seems like a gray area for announcer-sponsor relationships – and maybe an extension of the ownership issue DW does seem to like those NAPA mentions.
This week’s big mea culpa … I see that I was out of line questioning Dale Jr’s affiliation with Mountain Dew (or Mtn Dew as we now see it… MtnDw coming soon?). It was all over the fenders and all over the fire suit yesterday.
And at least it was green … not to be confused with the color scheme on the remainder of the 88 yesterday. I get the point of the “AMP Energy Juice” and its “100% Juice” deliciosity. But orange?
Most improved sponsor match, year over year… So far, it’s got to be Clint Bowyer and team General Mills. Maybe it was the shock of seeing him switch from Jack Daniel’s black to cereal yellow last year, but it just never seemed to fit. Not sure what they’ve done, but the whole presentation looks a lot better this year. More black maybe?
Are ticket prices dropping? During the telecast, I noticed a Phoenix International Raceway commercial that emphasizing tickets “starting at $25.” If that’s a trend, it’s a good one. More butts in the seats, and more opportunity for new fans to experience the rush that is a live NASCAR race.
In budget news…the big winners from NASCAR’s foray into southern California, part I, appear to be the engine parts suppliers. I’m not sure how many, but that was a lot of blown engines. Interesting that some guys keep ‘em together, and some guys from the same shop don’t.
Did I hear that right…the Speed Channel promotion for its new track-based reality series. Did Chris Myers really say it’ll “grab America by the muffler”? I realize that’s just a scripted line, but Chris is not off to a good start this season, is he….
